Tuition Assistance

Many families make great sacrifices to send their children to Catholic school. For some families, however, the financial stretch makes the choice difficult. For families unable to afford the entire cost of a Catholic school education, help is available through the Diocese of Metuchen Tuition Assistance program.

Funding for this program is made possible through the Foundation for Catholic Education (FCE), an endowment fund that was established to provide financial support to aid low- and moderate-income families.

Who is eligible to apply?

Catholic students attending eligible schools and registered in eligible parishes within the Diocese of Metuchen. Click here for a list of schools and parishes.

When do I apply?

Application forms are available every year from all diocesan schools and on our website beginning on Catholic Schools Week (the last week of January).

Is there a deadline?

Yes. Applications must be postmarked by March 31. If March 31 falls on a Sunday, then applications must be postmarked by March 30. The application process requires the submission of your prior year's 1040 Federal Tax Return, so families should plan to have their taxes completed before the deadline.

*Note: You may check the status of your application by logging on to PSAS at www.my.psas.org and entering the username and password provided by PSAS. If you did not provide PSAS with an email address, you may request a username and password by emailing PSAS at info@psas.org.

How are grants determined?

Tuition assistance grants are determined based on an analysis of each family's financial need. All applicants are need-ranked as a group and the available funds from the FCE are distributed as a percent of the need beginning with the applicants most in need and continuing until all available funds are exhausted. For more information on how need and rank are derived, please go to www.my.psas.org.

When will I know if my family will receive Tuition Assistance?

All families will receive notification on or about the first week of June.

For the 2014-2015 school year, The Foundation for Catholic Education was able to provide the following assistance:

Total Grants Actually Distributed

$857,890

Total Number Student Applicants

960

Total Recipients

696

Total Financial Need of All Applicants

$3,102,561

Average Percent of Need Covered

25.71%

Minimum Tuition Grant (Elementary)

$300

Minimum Tuition Grant (Secondary)

$600

Maximum Grant (Elementary)

$1,330

Maximum Grant (Secondary)

$2,810

The percent of financial need covered by individual grant awards per student for the 2014-2015 school year ranged from 19.28%-30.85%.

For the 2014-2015 school year, the diocesan recommended standard for elementary school tuition was $4,300, not including fees. Please see individual schools for tuition charged.

Catholic vs. non-Catholic ratesEach school sets its own tuition and fee schedules. Since all parishes provide a financial subsidy to all schools in our diocese, parish schools generally set different tuition rates for Catholic students and non-Catholic students. Please check with the school you are interested in for specific rates.